But no traces of the drug have been found in poultry meat or products since August 2003 and as a result, the amount of chicken tested will be cut from 100 to 20 per cent.

"The testing was reduced because the action plan, put in place by the Brazilian authorities to address the deficiencies, has been implemented and enforced efficiently," said the Commission in a statement. "The results of the checks carried out by member states have shown a major improvement in the situation.

The issue is of course incredibly delicate given the current crisis affecting East Asia's poultry industry. EU officials will be keenly aware that they faced a similar situation last year, when they decided to lift testing requirements on poultry imports from Thailand, its second largest chicken supplier after Brazil.

These were banned completely last week due to Thailand's eventual admission that it's poultry industry had been hit by the highly contagious bird 'flu disease.

The use of the drug nitrofuran in food-producing animals was banned in the EU in the mid-1990s due to health concerns, including a possible increased risk of cancer in humans through long-term consumption. At present, the EU only allows four antibiotics for use in animal feed for chickens, turkeys, pigs and cattle.